Reel



Oct. 26 1937. A. E. BORTON 2,097,142

' REEL Filed April 7, 1936 2 Sheets-Sheet .1

. III A 41 I awn/550mm INVENTOR ATTORNEY Oct. 26, 1937. I A. E. BoR'rofi I 2,097,142

REEL

Filed April 7, 1.936 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 hatented 011.26, 1 937 I REEL Alwyn E. Berton, South Orange, N. 3., assign: to Associated Patentees, Inc., Ampere, N. J., a corporation of New Jersey Application April 7, 1936, Serial No. 73,066

7 Claims. This invention relates to the winding and unwinding of various kinds of strip materials.

Special objects of the invention are to provide simple and practical apparatus for automatically winding, or unwinding strip materials at the rate required to keep the material in proper shape and particularly at a rate such as to-suit the action of some associated machine, such. as an intermittently acting press or forming machine.

Further Objects of the inventionjare to provide an inexpensive form of such machine, adapted to many diiferent uses and which will be sensitive enough in control to handle relatively fragile or easily stretched or bent material, without breaking or in any way injuring the same.

The foregoing and other objects are attained in the present invention by certain novel features of construction, combinations and relations of parts, all as hereinafter described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings and broadly covered in the claims.

The drawings illustrate one of the practical embodiments of the invention, but it will be appreciated that the structure may be modified and changed in different ways, all within the true intent and broad scope of the claims.

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the reel complete with driving and control mechanism and as set for unwinding stock material.

Fig. 2 is a diagram illustrating the supply and control circuit.

Fig. 3 is a horizontal sectionand plan view as on substantially the plane of line 33 of Fig. 1. 4 Figs. 4 and 5 are broken side views illustrating the setting of the control for unwinding and rewinding purposes respectively.

Fig. 6 is a broken vertical sectional view on substantially the plane of line 66 of Fig. 1'.

The reel illustrated consists of a series of radial arms or spokes l, projecting from a hub 8, journalled on a supporting stud 9, and a series of brackets Ill, mounted on said spokes and carrying edge confining arms II, I2, spaced according to the width of the stock being handled. This stock may be strip material of any character and the expression strip material is employed in a broad sense, comprehending flat, round, or other shaped stock, in metal, fabric or other materials, tape,

rope, cord, etc.

The hub of the reel is shown as having an attached pulley I3, over which a belt I4, runs to a pulley I5, of the reduction gearing indicated at I6, and which latter is driven from electric motor I'l.

The control of this motor is effected from a switch which is operated from a loop of the stock hanging from the reel.

In the illustration, a so-calledv "Mercoid switch is employed for control purposes, the same being illustratedat I8, detachably held by clips I9, 20, in a box-like support 2I, Figs. 2, 3 and 4, adjustably secured by a set screw 22, on one end of shaft 23. On the opposite end of this shaft a lever 24, is secured carrying at its free end a rod or pin 25, on which are adjustably secured the spool flanges 26, for guiding engagement with the outer loop'of the material 21, hanging from the reel, substantially as indicated in Fig. 1.

The circuit for the motor as shown in' Fig. l, ismade up in the illustration of a flexible cord 28, provided at one end with an attachment plug 29, for connection with a serviceoutlet, said cord extending to a terminal box 30, on the side of the motor. As indicated in Fig. 2, one side of this line is extendedat 3I, to the motor and the other side of this cord circuit is doubled back at this terminal box at 32, to form one side of another cord connection 33. The other side of this latter cord connection is brought out from the other side of the motor at 34. This second cord connection is shown as terminating in an attachment plug '35, making? connection with a terminal box 36. From the latter, a short flexible electriumn 40.

On this same column above bracket 38, a shelf bracketfor the motorand reduction gear set is adjustably secured by set screw 42, and the top of this column carries a bracket43, supporting the pivot stud 9, of the reel. At the bottom, the

v upright shaft or column 40, is secured in verti- 'c'ally adjustable relation by set screw 4-I, in a supporting socket 45, held by a horizontal clamp bolt UNITED: ST TES PATENT OFFICE 46, to an upright lug 41, on a supporting base 48. 1

The opposing faces of the supporting socket and base lug are shown as toothed or serrated at 49, for enabling the column to be firmly secured by the bolt 46, in vertical or in various angularly tilted relations. The latter enables the reel to be set for use with an inclined press or other machine as well as to operate with plain horizontally feeding or discharging machines.

The supporting of the motor and the reduction gear set on the bracket I4 and the adjustable mounting of this bracket on the supporting post.

or standard enables motor and gearing to be shifted as a unit, for example, to put the proper tension on the reel driven belt I. This adjustment may be made without disturbing the electrical connections, because of the use of the flexible supply cord 28, and the flexible cord 33, connecting the motor with the switch. This second electrical connection also enables the switch unit carried by bracket 38, to be adjusted vertically or angularly on the supporting column to suit the dependent loop of the stock, without disturbing electrical connections.

In using the reel for unwinding purposes, the switch is set substantially as indicated in Fig. 4', that is, approximately horizontal, so as to close the circuit when the lever arm 24 is in the upraised position indicated. With this switch arm disposed in the outer loop of strip hanging from the reel, as in Fig. 1, the motor will remain inactive while the switch arm is being lifted, until the latter reaches a position about as indicated in Fig. 4, where the circuit is closed and the motor immediately starts turning the reel in an unwinding direction. a

The gearing and motor speed are such that the reel will be turned faster than is actually required for unwinding purposes, so that as the size of the dependent loop increases, a condition is reached where the switch arm has lowered sufficiently to rock the mercury switch into the circuit opening condition indicated in broken lines, Fig. 4, whereupon the motor is stopped.

To keep the reel under control and to stop it instantly the motor stops, a. brake is provided in the illustration, consisting of a brake disc 50, on the supporting shaft 9, pressedagainst a friction disc. 5|, on the hub of the reel by spring 52, the

nut 53, on the screw-threaded end of the shaft serving as an abutment adjustable for tensioning this spring.

If the reel is to be used for winding on purposes, the parts are adjusted as indicated in Fig. 5, .that is, with the mercury switch in the substantially horizontal circuit closed position when the lever arm 24, hangs more or less vertically. Then as the loop closes up with the winding on of the material to lift the lever up into the dotted line position, circuit will be broken and the reel stopped, not to start again until suflicient slack is provided in the loop to lower the lever back to the substantially vertical full line position. Also to get this relation, the mercury switch is reversed. in its supporting clips as shown in this view, so that in tilting toward the right, the circuit will be broken, the exact reverse of the tilting action in Fig. 4.

The placing of the mercury switch above the shaft center counterbalances to an extent the weight of the lever arm, so that the latter can act as a more or less delicately balanced feeler? to detect the condition of the loop without acting as a drag on the material. Consequently, the machine can handle relatively flimsy or fragile material without breaking or injuring the same. In a specific example, the material handled is a continuous length of wire which has been bent ,alternately in opposite directions in zig-zag for-' mation and which should be kept with the reversely extending strands in exactly parallel relation. The present machine is capable of handling such strip material both winding andunwinding without stretching or deforming the same. Another special application of the invention is for advancing a length of slack strip stock which is being intermittently fed into a punch press. The present machine will maintain aloop of slack material for the feed mechanism of the punch press to act. upon, leaving such feed mechanism to operate accurately without any drag on the same.

The apparatus is adjustable and can be readily set to meet different requirements. It is entirely self-contained and can be readily shifted from one machine to another. Furthermore, the structure is relatively simple and inexpensive and will operate indefinitely without any special care.

To prevent the switch arm swinging down too far, a stop is provided in the form of an angled abutment rod 54, adjustably secured at 55, in the supporting bracket 38, in position to engage the back of ,the swinging arm, as indicated in Figs. 4 and 5.

The swinging lever which rests in or engages the bight in the loop of material may be further balanced and cushioned by spring means and the short loop electrical connection 31, between the tilting switch and the terminal box 36, has the effect of a steadying or cushioning spring. The parts are all readily accessible and easy to shift from the winding to the unwinding control positions. While other forms of drives may be employed, the belt drive is desirable as permitting slippage in case of anything holding the reel against the drive of the motor. The sensitive form of control, in the case of unwinding operations, can be set to prevent the material at any time dragging against the reel. permits the brake to be set at any desired tension, without possibility of injury to fragile strip material. While shown as a vertical and angularly aifiustable reel, it will beappreciated that the reel may be made in horizontal form as well.

What is claimed is:

1. Automatic reeling apparatus, comprising a stock reel, a swinging lever pivoted to rest in a loop of the stock, a mercury switch tilted by said pivoted lever, a motor controlled by said switch, drive connections from said motor to said reel and means for mounting said tilting switch to enable reverse operations of the same for using' the reel either for winding or unwinding opera.- tions.

2. In combination, a stock reel, a free swinging rock shaft, a tilting switch and a lever arm secured in angularly adjustable relation on said free swinging rock shaft, means for supporting said rock shaft for free swinging movement and in position for said lever arm to engage in a bight of the stock winding on or off the reel, a motor controlled by said tilting switch, drive connections from said motor to said reel and means for efiecting reversal of said tilting switch on the rock shaft to set the machine for winding on or winding off operations.

3. In combination, a stock reel, a rock shaft, a tilting switch and a lever arm secured in relatively adjustable relation on said rock shaft, means for supporting said rock shaft in position for said lever arm to engage in a bight of the stock, a motor controlled by said tilting switch, drive connections from said motor to said reel and a stand for supporting all of said mechanism, said stand including an adjustably supported post and relatively adjustable brackets thereon for the support of the reel, the motor mechanism an the rock shaft.

4. In combination, a stock reel, a motor arranged for driving the same, a free swinging lever disposed for engagement with and positioning by an outer loop of material on said reel, a rocking This feature mercury switch having an angularly adjustable relation with said loop engaging swin n lever and control connections for said motor including said mercury switch.

5. In combination, a stock reel, a movable member engageable in a loop of the stock on said reel, a motor arranged for driving the reel, a controlling switch for said motor and means ior connecting said switch and control member inrelatively reversible relatiom to set the machine ior either winding or unwinding operations.

I 6. In combination, a stock reel, a motor, connections from said motor for driving said reel and means for automatically maintaining a loop m tilting switch for predetermining the starting and stopping operations of said motor in accordance with the size of the slack loop, a relatively stationary terminal box and flexible electrical connections between said tilting switch and said relatively stationary terminal box.

'1. An automatic reel for winding or unwinding strip stock comprising a stand, a stock reel journaled on said stand, a brake operating to hold said reel in the periods of rest, a free swinging arm mounted on said stand and located to be engaged and positioned by a slack loop of the strip material winding on or unwinding from said reel, switch means including a tilting switch contact connected to and actuated by said free swinging slack engaging arm, a motor mounted on said stand, drive connections from said motor to said reel and'electrical connections on said stand from said tilting control switch mechanism to said motor.

ALWYN E. BORTON. m 

